Manga and Japanese Socioeconomic Development
Manga and Japanese Socioeconomic Development
The art of manga, Japanese anime, is unique for its style of drawing and its themes which reflect Japanese socioeconomic development. After studying Japanese contemporary culture, I noticed that manga is perhaps the best known Japanese pop culture worldwide. Today it is common to find whole sections of manga in bookstores in the United States. Considering my analysis of Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture, manga are successful worldwide because they are considered not just superficial entertainment, but also reflect Japan's socioeconomic development. I decided to select some manga representing different phases in Japanese society. Starting from after World War II until the 1990s, the manga I have chosen to analyze are Astro Boy, Speed Racer, My Neighbor Totoro, and Sailor Moon. I also connect them to David J.Lu's book Japan: A Documentary History, a comparison that illustrates how manga and the Japanese socioeconomic development are connected, I noticed that manga themes are inspired by trends in Japan's socioeconomic development.
The first, and likely the most popular manga of all times is Astro Boy. Published in 1952, Astro Boy had strong commercial appeal and much American influences, with stories that attracted to adults' interest. The story is about the minister of Science in Japan who loses his son in a traffic accident and decides to use his influence to build a new son. Soon a robot boy with special abilities is created, and he can fly as a rocket. The robot is Astro Boy, also known as Mighty Atom, an ironic name since it's similar to the "atomic bomb" which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Astro Boy is a fictional rocket with some human features: limbs and face. He fights as a great hero for peace and justice, and at the same time Astro Boy possesses an innocent character and optimism that makes him even more charismatic.
The postwar period was a time of peace in Japan, and through Astro Boy, the author Osamu Tezuka expressed society's wish for peace. According to David J.Lu in Japan: A documentary History, Japan's "policy therefore was to cooperate fully with the United States to ensure peace in the World" (505). Astro Boy not only is connected with peace, but also promotes a sense of equality with the US in terms of technology and economic power. With Japan and America as the major players in the New Era, Japan becomes more equal to United States; just as the Japan wants to be more equal to the United States, the robots want to be more equal to humans. Astro Boy and other robots try to get more rights in a human society, with hopes of a better future and equality: "The Japan-US relations will also change in the future. Although the two countries have been close since World War II, it has not always been marked by full mutual understanding" (qtd.Lu 558). Astro Boy joins other robots and expresses the difficulties of living in a human society. He goes further exploring some social issues of equality like "a bill of rights for robots and civil liberties" (Cyrenne).
Japan had acquired high technological competence, and in the end, Astro Boy is a robot that speaks and has feelings. What a technology! Of course this is fiction but in reality, David J.Lu, stressed: "History shows that technology creates civilization and determines the scale and level of its economic and industrial development" (558). Japan had a high technological competence already by the end of 1970s. Therefore, by reflecting its time, Astro Boy communicates important issues for future generations, passing messages of peace, and the desire for equality, two new ideologies that Japanese society was about to embrace.
The document "The Emergence of an Economic Superpower" reports that during the period of 1975 to the 1980s Japan had very high economic growth and soon Japanese culture spread worldwide. The Japanese people became more confident, and able to solve economic problems. If the US was the supreme high tech power in the world, Japan was the most innovative managerial system in world, an example to be followed by other countries. Japans films of this period show the changes in social conditions, as people began to have more interest in luxury: dreaming of beautiful expensive clothes, going to expensive restaurants, acquiring electronics, enjoying international travel not only for business but for pleasure. However, concerns about values in children, and teenagers arose in the sense that the new generation would be too superficial and forget Japanese traditions.
In particular, transportation improved greatly in Japan at this time. Government officials knew the public wished to have a better transportation system, to build and modernize railways, high speed bullet trains: "Ten years after the war, one thing that we have been constantly criticized for by the public is our inadequate transport capabilities" (qtd. in Lu 532). Furthermore, it was important when building the electric train that it was "a high-speed train" (Lu 534). Not only did the railways become more modernized in Japan but also by 1980, Japan became the foremost car manufacturer in the world. Japanese cars have succeeded worldwide and gained a lot of the market space in America.
Consequently the manga Speed Racer speaks to the issue of transportation. Speed Racer was about the Japanese automotive industry "dealt with a real context and concerned itself with the Japanese automotive industry trying to assert itself on the world stage" (Yoshida). It is an exciting story of a boy who is a race-car driver and joins competition races. Speed's is very driven to be the world best car driver. The cars are elegant, fast, and terrifically designed. When he is racing on the track, it is not just a race; it is an amusing high speed competition. He loves driving and goes into races to protect his family business and his favorite sport. The main character has superior racing skills and is very driven to become a pro. Compared to Astro Boy, the characters of Speed Racer possess more realistic human features. Speed Racer's publication in 1967 coincided with the drive to improve transportation in Japan. In addition, the cars in the Speed Racer manga have some similarity with the ones manufactured by Toyota, like the 1967-1970 model Toyota 2000GT and even more with the Toyota 7 racing car-1970 built to race in the Grand Prix in Japan. But cars weren't the only development in society. During this time Japan became one of the best countries to live in; people were enjoying high quality of life such as a good health care system, business profits, and traveling.
During the period of Japan's fastest economic growth, housing construction planning was being implemented in several areas and issues about the environment arose. Reflecting this public concern, in 1988 a manga dealing with forest conservation was released. The manga called My Neighbor Totoro, by Hayao Miyazaki takes place in the Japanese postwar period. My Neighbor Totoro is a story of a university professor and his two young daughters moving to the Fuchi no Mori forest area on the border of Tokyo City to live close to their wife and mother who is ill in a nearby hospital. In the new home, the two young daughters are able to see and interact with a friendly spirit called Totoro and others that are keepers of the forest. Totoro teaches the two young daughters how to plant seeds and grow trees. Using Totoro's herbal expertise, the two young girls are able to effect the quick recovery of their mother. In 1990, the Totoro forest project was found to advocate the importance of forest conservation.
Contrast to the 1980s, later the theme of education would emerge in the manga. The Japanese society faced economic recession in the early 1990s, and Japanese comic books adapted to this new phase. Some factors that led to the situation of recession were the high value of yen and stock market bubble, political corruption, Japan's contributions to The Gulf War. Reforms were needed, and looking back at the past, the conclusion was to search for a different life style. Getting people educated used to be a solution in time of crisis in the past, and it would most likely work now. After the Education Reforms were implemented, people started to aim for the best schools, the best grades, and for the best jobs. According to Lu's work, clearly Japan was already a country with high education standard: "At this level, Japanese Education is often praised by foreign observers. International Educational Assessment places Japan at the top"(570). But, some reforms were needed: "Education reforms must begin with reforms in our primary and secondary education" (571). The reforms included no uniform curriculum, less governmental control on how and what students should read, write, and calculate. And each school could study its regional culture(Lu 571).
The relation through manga to the Japanese reality is so real that in a time focused on education, the Manga Sailor Moon fits perfectly. The main character is a girl called Tsukino Usagi. She is a common sailor-suited junior high school student, who on a certain day is found by a talking cat named Luna. This cat tells her that horrific things will happen in the world. But because Usagi is the reincarnation of the princess from a kingdom on the Moon, her hidden powers may defend the Earth against the coming Dark Kingdom.Luna has a visible odd mark of a crescent moon on its head. Usagi still seems to be very skeptical, but when Luna gives her a magical brooch, Usagi indeed is transformed in Sailor Moon and throughout the story joins a number of friends in the battle. However, in school Usagi is only a common student dealing with tardiness problems to school, dislike of home economics, math, and English, love for ice cream and cake, definite refusal to eat carrots, and loves sleeping. However, when transformed into Sailor Moon, she is very skilled in chemistry, giving lessons and concerned about the students getting good grades. The author Takeuchi Naoko stresses the importance of the growing up years in middle school. Having a different way to approach life, the Japanese society began to be interested in competition for the top schools and the best jobs.
During the economic miracle in Japan, people were making high profits in most businesses. It was a good period for the stock market. People bought property. This great period for Japanese society seemed to finish and coincide with the Emperor Hirohito death in 1989, when his son, known as Heisei, succeeded to the throne. Corruption scandals began to be revealed and conflicts among opposite parties arose. High stock prices were a problem, as higher interest rates increased the cost of borrowing money to invest and acquire property. The Japanese economy saw a slow down in 1990 and 1991, and the recession came right after that. New Reforms started to be implemented, but since then the Japanese economic miracle has not returned.
Manga are connected with human relations, work, living environment, solving problems, all with some heroic appeal. They differ in their style of craftsmanship; the drawings are dramatic and expressive. They also reflect the changing social conditions in Japan. Examples of manga cited in this research paper are connected with different trends in the Japanese society: Astro Boy explores peace in the postwar period; Speed Racer reflects the drive to improve the Japanese transportation system in the late 1960s, My Neighbor Totoro deals with environment during the Japanese economic miracle in the 1980s, and Sailor Moon centers on education in a changing phase for the Japanese society in the 1990s. I believe the amusing creation of manga and its relation with the Japanese economical and social development is no doubt a very unique aspect of the Japanese pop culture, not found elsewhere.
Work Cited
Cyrenne, Randall. "Astro Boy (1963): Ultra Collector's Edition Sets 1 & 2." Animated Views. 25 July 2008 < http://animated-views.com/2008/astro-boy-1963-ultra-collector's-edition-sets-1-2/>.
Lu, David J., ed. Japan: A Documentary History. Armonk, NY: M.E. Shape, 1997.
Yoshida, Tatsuo. "Manga Spotlight: Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go Box Set" Scott's Green Anime Ainc. 28 March 2008 < http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36189>.
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